


The Unholy Trinity

by Shane_Mayday_and_Ryan_Baugette



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Agent!shane, Detective!shane, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-01
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-03-25 09:41:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13831515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shane_Mayday_and_Ryan_Baugette/pseuds/Shane_Mayday_and_Ryan_Baugette
Summary: Shane is an FBI agent who has been assigned to a series of unusual disappearances, in Trinity National Park, thought to be the work of a kidnapper or murderer. Ryan is a local conspiracy theorist who believes supernatural forces are at play. Shane is forced to work with Ryan in exchange for information, considering Ryan is an 'expert' when it comes to the case. They quickly realize theres more to the case than meets the eye and that the entire town is riddled with secrets and tragedies. Only when the case is solved will they know if its True Crime or Supernatural.





	1. Worth a Shot

_His hands were shaking, adrenaline ran through his veins, and all he could hear was the sound of his heartbeat as he tried to hold the gun steady. He clenched his eyes shut tightly and with out a second thought he pulled the trigger._

_A deafening bang echoed through out the alley followed by the sound of a body hitting the ground. He did not open his eyes, he felt frozen; like a hostage to his fear. Time seemed to stand still until he felt a hand pat him on his shoulder._

_"Good job Agent Madej! You're a better shot than I thought! We'll get the rest of the team down here to collect evidence and clean up this mess. Looks like you could be the FBI's next top agent!" Shane barely heard a word instead all he heard was a ringing in his ears as he stared down at the bloody, slouched body before him._

_Granted the man he shot was a known criminal and hitman, but the longer Shane looked the sicker he felt, it felt as though his stomach had lodged itself in his throat. With out another thought Shane turned towards his supervisor;_

_"I need some time off."_

\--------------------------------------

It had been several weeks since the incident, going back to work had proven to be overwhelming. Coffee stained notes and unopened files littered his desk, neither of which he had the time, energy, or focus for. Instead Shane opted to stare blankly out the window as rain poured from the sky. He was unexpectedly pulled out of his daze by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Turning his head his eyes were met with his supervisors. 

"I've been told your performance has been less than satisfactory." He snapped with a stern voice. 

"Well I-" Shane wracked his brain for a response before he was interrupted.

"It doesn't matter, but until you come out of this slump we've assigned you to a case. Now don't get tooexcited it's one from the bottom of the barrel. Just go investigate, make them think you're working on it, and write a report. Maybe this little trip will help. The plane leaves tonight, don't be late." With out waiting for a response he dropped a file on Shane's desk and walked away. 

"This feels more like a punishment than an assignment..." Shane muttered to himself as he reluctantly flipped open the file and quickly skimmed it.

'Large amount of disappearances..... Trinity National Park..... all rescues failed..... natural causes not ruled out....'

"Fun stuff." Shane retorted sarcastically, closing the file before getting up from his desk. 

\--------------------------------------

Meanwhile, across the country, a shorter but fit man scrolled through hundreds of articles. 

'Young Girl Reported Missing'  
'Body of Hiker Never Recovered  
'No Witnesses, No Evidence, No Answers'

Each one he had read before until he came across a recent news article.

'FBI to assist Trinity County with Accumulating Missing Persons'

A goofy smile spread across his face as he leaned back in his chair triumphantly before peering over at his wall that was covered in news clippings, maps, pages ripped out of books, etc.

"Its about time all this work paid off!" 

\--------------------------------------


	2. Unwelcoming Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 is finally done!

_Little things began to bother him, it started around the same time he decided to take time off. He would be waiting for the bus and hear a loud bang of the breaks being hit and he would suddenly be filled with fear and panic. He began to sweat as his heart raced and something in him told him to run._

_Several miles later he found himself, out of breath, standing in front of his apartment with no almost no recollection of what happened in between him starting to run and ending up at his apartment._

_He had trouble eating and staying focussed, sleeping seemed next to impossible. Normally he enjoyed, if not preferred, to be alone, but recently he found himself anxiously craving company._

_That was just the beginning._

\--------------------------------------

Stepping out of the taxi, Shane was immediately surprised by the quaint and almost... home-like feel of the town. Small shops circled the town's center; candy stores, gift shops, diners, etc it was rustic. 

"Maybe this won't be too bad...." He thought to himself as he grabbed his bags out of the trunk of the taxi and waved the driver off. He quickly hurried across the street to the inn.

A bell chimed to signify his entrance as he walked into the building. An older woman with white hair and thick round glasses looked up and casted him a warm smile.

"Welcome to Trinity Inn! Walk-in or Reservation?" She asked kindly, waving her hand to beckon him over. With a few swift strides Shane was in front of her.

"Reservation for Madej" He replied awkwardly. 

"Of course, we have you booked in room 104. What brings you to Trinity? You don't seem like a hiker, not in those shoes?" She lightly joked, staring down at his dress shoes.

"Oh uh, I'm actually from the FBI so I guess, work." He replied hesitantly and immediately regretted speaking when her smile dropped. 

"Enjoy your stay." She retorted coldly before tossing the keys onto the counter in front of him and promptly walking away, but Shane could hear her mutter under her breath 'make it a short one'. How friendly.

Shane stood there for several moments trying to process what just happened before shaking his head and bringing his bags up to his room. It had been only several minutes and it seems he's already hated. He hadn't even begun to unpack when his phone began to ring. 

"Agent Ma-" He began to speak.

"Yes, I know, I called you. The sheriff's ready to meet with you. Don't make him wait." His bosses voice boomed followed immediately by a click and then silence. 

"Nice talking to you too." Shane snapped to himself while rolling his eyes and dropping his bags onto the bed and leaving his room.

\--------------------------------------

Ryan anxiously paced back and forth in front of the sherrifs department, occasionally wringing his hands or running them through his hair. He wasn't sure when Agent Madej would show up or if he'd take kindly to his theories- most people did not. 

The longer he stood the less confidence he had. No one in the town believed him, why would the FBI agent think any differently? He quickly shook his head as if to rid it of his thoughts of uncertainty. He knew something..... unnatural... was going on in the National Park and someone had to believe him. If he doesn't try to convince others, who else would? 

He was ripped out of his thoughts when out of the corner of his eye he saw an unfamiliar man walking towards the building. He was tall, lanky, clad in an all black suit, and well, Ryan had to admit, handsome. 

Eagerly Ryan began to wave his hands to catch the other man's attention. It worked, but the man seemed more confused than interested. 

"Do I..... do I know you?" Shane cocked his head to the side as he approached the shorter male. 

"I'm Ryan Bergara, you must be Agent Madej!" He spoke excitedly, extending an arm out for a handshake. Hesitantly, Madej shook his hand.

"You don't.... look like a sheriff." Shane replied flatly as he examined Ryan. He was definitely much shorter than him but not below average height. He wasn't skinny but he wasn't overweight either and had chocolate brown eyes and dark hair. Ryan nervously chuckled before replying.

"Well, I'm not the sheriff, but I was wondeing if I could talk to you about this case. You see I-" Ryan began to ramble, shifting his weight from one leg to another as his mind raced. 

"Bergara! Leave the man alone for God's sake! He doesn't want to hear your crazy nut job conspiracy theories." The door to the sherriffs department was opened to reveal an older man wearing a sheriff's uniform and hat. He had a bushy mustache and beard and piercing blue eyes. 

"So you're the Sheriff, it's very nice to meet you, I'm FBI Agent Shane Madej." Shane's eyes darted between the two men, confused.

"What do you mean conspiracy theories?" Shane questioned.

"Ryan's been trying to figure out this case for sometime now. So far he's decided the Park is haunted." The sheriff rolled his eyes which caused a bubble of anger to form in the pit of Ryan's stomach. 

"You're joking." Shane replied, laughing, but stopped when he saw Ryan's eyebrows furrow as he looked away. 

"Oh... you're serious." Shane commented before pausing and laughing harder along with the sheriff. 

"Come on inside so we can discuss the actual facts." The sheriff moved out if the doorway so Shane could enter. Shane gave one last look to Ryan, who seemed to be blushing out of embarrassment, before entering the building.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really apologize for the lack of action or interesting things. I guess I wanted to lay down the foundation before anything else, this is basically the introduction part 2 lol  
> I'm still trying to find my style of writing since it's been so long. I'm going to start reading more Fanfictions and try to improve. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has read it, I really appreciate it and hope I don't let you down lol


	3. Hitting the Goldmine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everybody that has been reading, commenting, bookmarking, etc I really appreciate it!!

_Whenever he managed to fall asleep he was plagued with nightmares. Waking up with cold sweats became a common occurrence, if not daily. It had gotten to the point that no matter how tired he was he couldnt bring himself to fall asleep and he knew that something wasn't right._

_Going into the academy he was told there would be a time when he'd have to take a life and, although he wasn't exactly fond of the thought, he figured taking the life of a criminal would feel.... different than taking an innocent person's life. For some reason, that wasn't the case. Something analogous to guilt seemed to creep under his skin and infest his body, leaving nothing but emptiness in it's wake._

\--------------------------------------

Shane was ushered into a small, but impeccably clean office, a box sat on top of his organized desk. The sheriff motioned for him to take a seat.

"I'm Richard Lake, sorry I didn't formally introduce myself earlier, I didn't get the chance because of Bergara." He spoke with a hint of annoyance as he shook his head.

"Its alright he was weird but seems ni-" Shave waved his hand dismissively as he began to reply.

"Crazy, I know, right? He hangs around here all the time trying to talk to bother my guys with his.... nonsense. Anyways, I don't want to waste your time. These are all the files I could find." The sheriff slid the box towards Shane. 

Upon opening the box Shane found it was mostly empty, only a handful of thin files were tossed into it. 

"This... this is it? I was told there were hundreds is missing persons." Shane narrowed his eyes flipping through a few of them. 

"Fire. We lost a lot of files. That or they could be misplaced, some of these go back decades." The sheriff replied flatly. Shane frowned, he found that hard to believe that they wouldve misplaced files considering how neat his office and department was.

"No electronic files? Computers? You could have a kidnapper or murderer in your town!" Shane spoke, he voice tinged with disbelief. 

"I'm not exactly tech savvy, try the library they have a collection of old newspapers. I'm not sure why the FBI is looking into this anyways, you'd think there would be bodies found if it were a murderer. The weather can be unpredictable and many of the routes are for experienced hikers or climbers. Tourists come up here all the time and have no idea what they're getting into." He spoke bitterly and with out waiting for a reply he added. 

"Now, not to be rude, but I have some paperwork to take care of so if you don't no mind..." He trailed off with out finished, but Shane could take the hint.

"Okay... I'll just.... leave." Shane stoop up awkwardly before walking out of the office.

"What the hell is going on...." Shane mumbled under his breath. Something seemed... off about the town, it no longer seemed charming. There had been hundreds of disappearances but next to no records and no one seemed concerned. 

He absent mindedly walked out the door, lost in his thought when he, literally, ran into Ryan. In a split second papers were flying around as boxes, as well as the shorter man, tumbled to the ground.

"Ow shit." Ryan grumbled as he got up from the ground. 

"Sorry about that..." Shane bent down to help pick up the papers when he noticed something, each paper, news article, picture, etc was related to the Trinity National Park disappearances. 

"Wait... These notes are yours.... and they're all about the missing persons." Shane's eyes widened as he realized he had struck a goldmine. 

"Ya, I've been working on this case for years." Ryan retorted placing the stacks of papers and files back in his boxes.

"I need them!" Shane blurted out quickly as he grabbed a file off of the ground and began skimming through it. 

"I'm not going to just hand them over! I've been looking into this for forever and I'm not about to just walk away from it and let you try to figure it out." Ryan snatched the file back. 

"Figure it out? You mean why it's haunted??? No offense, but I think it'd be better if I worked on it." Shane smirked, receiving a glare from the smaller man. 

"Shut up! Listen if you want my help that's fine, but I'm not abandoning this case! Either we work on it together or you can do your own research" Ryan stated stubbornly, Shane took a moment to think before deciding it was worth it for all the information Ryan had. Anyways, there was somrthing about his stubbornness and passion that Shane found... atttactive.

"Fine." He replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter the boys will finally start the case and go into the woods! Spoopy.


	4. Into the Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AS PROMISED THEY GO INTO THE WOODS. Sorry this chapter is longer than the rest of them, I wanted to make sure I had them enter the woods but also go over the case a bit. WARNING: this chapter begins with and has mentions of gore/violence, let me know if any of you are bothered by it and I'll re-edit and upload this chapter separately for you!)

_Shane found himself standing in the same alley, on the same night, staring at the same criminal, but this time Shane was not the one with the gun. His breath hitched as he heard the sound of the gun being cocked, upon looking closer he saw the man's head was bloody and disfigured, like it had been caved in- exactly the way it looked after he had been shot._

_"Its better this way." He heard the hitman speak before finally firing the gun; everything went black._

_"Shane.... Shane..._ SHANE!"

He was pulled out of his nightmare by a familiar voice. His eyes shot open and, after they adjusted, he found himself face to face with wide, worried brown eyes.

"You fell asleep while reading." Ryan explained, whether or not Ryan was trying to hide it, Shane could hear the concern in his voice.

"Oh... My bad..."Shane replied before stretching and yawning, trying to shake the feeling of dread that seemed to weigh his whole body down. He had been reading for so long his eyes seemed to go cross just from the thought of looking at a file. Ryan seemed to sense that and sat down next to Shane with a stack of files. 

"The missing cases started around the 1920's and since then there's been as many as 200 missing persons reported. Some of the most unusual include the cases of Thomas Acton and Samuel Holden" As Ryan read Shane couldn't help but admire the way he licked his lips and flipped through the pages with his long slender fingers.

"Thomas Acton, 46, was last seen, on November 2nd 1968, unloading gear from his car with his hiking group. On the second day of the group's trip they woke up to find he was missing. All of his gear was left behind, and like almost every one of these cases- his body was never found." Ryan paused for a moment to look over at Shane who was leaning back in his chair with his eyes on the ceiling. 

"What's so unusual about that?" Shane inquired, raising his eyebrows. 

"What so you mean what's so unusual about that? He was experienced and just vanished!" Ryan seemed almost... offended at what Shane said but had a small smile creeping onto his face

"Ya, he woke up in the middle of the night to take a piss, it was dark, and then he fell down a hill and broke his neck." Shane replied matter-of-factly. 

"What about his body?" Ryan argued back. 

".... Eaten by animals?" Shane shrugged. 

"Dude, gross!" Ryan wheezed before continuing. 

"Samuel Holden, 7, was last seen by his family on September 21st 1993 walking with them on a commonly traversed path. His mother had let go of his hand to take off her sweater and when she went to grab his hand again- he was gone with out a trace. However, that's not the only weird part. Hikers who saw his picture on the news reported they saw him on top a cliff almost 20miles away. As they waved to him they saw him being pulled away from the edge and they assumed it was by his parents." Ryan peered over at Shane and couldn't help but feel aggravated but his complete lack of shock.

"How can you not be freaked out by this?!" Ryan asked, shaking his head. 

"I dunno, he probably got lost or kidnapped." Shane replied, looking uninterested.

"You're crazy..." Ryan muttered back. 

"Why because I don't think it's ghosts?" Shane broke out into laughter.

"Shut up! I never said I thought it was ghosts!" Ryan could feel his face become hot as it turned red. 

"Well what do you think it is then?" Shane couldn't help but stare at Ryan as a dark red blush ran across his face, it was almost... cute. 

"There are several different theories," Ryan began. 

"Some say that during the 1600s people who secretly practiced black magic or worshipped Satan would sneak into the forest at night to perform rituals. It is said that by doing this they opened a portal of sorts for demons or even the devil to pass through." Ryan seemed almost too enthralled as he spoke. Shane tried his hardest to contain his laughter but couldn't. 

"So you're saying you honestly believe that Satanist opened up a... portal to hell that now snatches people up randomly?" Shane could barely talk through chuckling.

"I mean... that's just one theory and it sounds plausible." Ryan quickly tried to defend himself. 

"If that's plausible to you I'd love to hear what's implausible to you." Shane grinned as he saw Ryan's face contort into annoyance. 

"Moving on, others believe that the disappearances are strong proof of alien activity and abdu-"

"No. No it's not aliens." Shane rubbed his forehead and sighed in aggravation. 

"You can't prove that it wasn't." Ryan interjected, satisfied at finally seeing the taller man become as worked up as him. 

"No, I can't, but... seriously? Whenever something weird happens it's always aliens." Shane waved his hands dramatically receiving a chuckle from Ryan. 

"This just sounds like people just getting hurt or lost and died. Maybe there's a kidnapper or killer. I don't get what's so unusual about these disappearances." Shane replied honestly, looking over at Ryan's notes. 

"Well if you ever went into that woods you'd know something was wrong." Ryan tried his best to convince Shane.

"Then let's go into the woods." Shane suggested.

"Okay, let's go into th- what?" Ryan stopped mid sentence as his eyes grew wide. He suddenly regretted his comment. 

"Tonight, let's go to the forest. If its so 'haunted' then something will happen." Shane shrugged nonchalantly, crossing his arms behind his head. 

"This... this is a bad idea." Ryan muttered under his breath before looking at the clock. They had 2 hours until sundown. 

\--------------------------------------

"You know we don't have to do this..." Ryan's voice was nervous and wavered. Shane laughed to himself, staring down at the shorter man who was biting his lip out of fear. 

"Calm down, it's the woods, it's just trees." Shane tried comforting him, fixating on the man's full lips. Shane had never really given much thought to his sexuality, for the most part he hasn't been interested in anyone but there was something different about Ryan. He could just sense it. 

"Dude, were going to die tonight." Ryan's voice pulled him out of his head. 

"Probably." Shane replied laughing at the horrified face Ryan gave him. 

"So reassuring...." Ryan mumbled before flicking on his flashlight and starting to fish through his backpack. He pulled out a camera before throwing the backpack over his shoulder. 

"Seriously? You're going to record this?" Shane raised an eyebrow as Ryan turned on the camera.

"When we find evidence of demons, I want it on tape." Ryan replied.

"You mean 'if' we find evidence of demons, which we won't." Shane retorted before walking through the entrance of the Park and into the woods.

"How can you be so sure?" Ryan wished he could be as cool and collected as Shane. 

"They don't exist. Easy as that." Shane replied as he observed his surroundings, moving his flashlight across the trees as the wind shook their branches. 

"Did you hear that!?" Ryan almost jumped, snapping his head around. 

"For fuck's sake, it's just the wind. Why are you so scared?" Shane rolled his eyes, walking ahead. 

"I'm not scared.... okay I'm scared. I can't believe you're not. Even though you don't believe in demons, you admitted there could be a killer." Ryan snapped back, scanning the woods as his hands shook.

"Ya but if we run into him I'll just shoot h-" Before Shane could finished, he stopped himself. He was about to crack a joke but suddenly a feeling on uneasiness began to grow in his stomach.

"What'd you say?" Ryan questioned, too busy freaking out over hearing the trees rustle. 

"Nothing, let's take a turn up there." Shane pointed to where the path deviated. 

"Are you insane? Let's just stay on the main path!" Ryan exclaimed as he stopped walking and gave Shane an exasperated look. 

"Hey, I'm not the one that wants to find demons, don't you think your chances are better the further you go into the woods." Shane grinned to himself, there was something about seeing Ryan petrified that was... a rush. He wanted to hear Ryan scream, admittedly in more ways than one. 

"You gotta be kidding me..." Ryan groaned before following Shane down the separate path. After walking for several miles Shane heard Ryan yell before falling on to the ground. 

"Shit!" Ryan stood up, dusting off his clothes. 

"You should watch where yo-"

"Shane." Ryan interuppted him, his voice quivering, almost cracking. 

"What?" Shane turned around and was taken aback by what Ryan's flashlight was illuminating.

"I-i-is that a.... a...." 

"Dead body." Shane finished Ryan's sentence while staring down at a clothed torso with half of an arm left.

"Or... at least what's left of it." Shane added. 

"Oh my God. Oh my god. I'm going to be sick." Ryan's face turned completely white before a disgusting green.

"Calm down, look away." Shane ordered Ryan as he backed away, careful not to interfere with any evidence as he pulled out his cellphone

"Calm down? CALM DOWN? WE JUST FOUND A DEAD BODY!" Ryan shouted angrily but he stopped when they heard a branch crack followed by what sounded like someone running. Ryan quickly turned towards the sound, frozen in fear.

"Oh my God Shane, Shane we're going to die." Ryan whispered quietly, grabbing Shane's arm for comfort. Shane took out his gun before ushering Ryan to stand behind him. 

"No we're not, it's okay. It was probably just an animal or-"

"A demon?? Murderer??? Whatever it is I want to leave." Ryan nearly cried, Shane couldn't help but admit he agreed. He had enough of staring at dead bodies, but that's not protocol. 

"I have to stay until someone gets here." Shane informed Ryan who was almost hyperventilating. 

"I'm not staying here and I'm not going back alone!" Ryan replied anxiously. Shane thought for a moment before sighing. 

"Ok, let's head back. Im calling the sheriff." Shane nodded his head before leading Ryan back down the path. As the headed back Ryan began to playback the moment where he fell on his camera.

"Listen to it again, it sounds like a person!" Ryan exclaimed as he fast forwarded the video before playing it, purposefully closing his eyes before the body flashed on the screen. When he opened his eyes and watched the video he was shocked by what he saw. 

"Shane. When I turned to look at the noise, my camera caught something." He said half-excited, hald-terrified. Shane turned around to look at the camera and sure enough, the moment they hear the footsteps and branch snap a large, dark figure darted into the trees. 

"Which means that body was probably from someone who was recently killed. That's probably the murderer that's still.... still in the woods." Shane and Ryan looked at each other before silently and mutually agreeing to run the rest of the way back. 

"We need to see the Sheriff, now." Shane spoke in between panting, finally exiting the Park and hurriedly walking back to town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to say thsnk you, again lol, for everyone who has read, commented, kudos-ed (Or whatever lol), bookmarked, etc. I really appreciate it, starting this story I wasn't very optimistic lol and thought it was crap, but after all the support I'm feeling a bit more confident!


	5. Stay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens, and, as you all know- Shane loves thicc plots!! Anyways, thank you so much for every one that has been following this story!

_Before he went back go work he had to undergo a mental evaluation. An older man with a look of disinterest on his face asked him a series of pre-written questions, occasionally peering at Shane through his glasses that were situated too low on his nose._

_"Do you have trouble sleeping?" The man asked with a bored sigh._

_"No." Shane replied flatly, despite his heavy eye lids and lack of sleep._

_"Have you noticed an increase of anxiety?" The man continued._

_"No." Shane responded, having to physically refrain from bouncing his leg._

_"Have you been emotionally distant?" He asked, crossing off each question afterwards._

_"No." Shane wasn't sure what compelled him to lie. It wasn't like he was eager to go back to work and why would it matter what the psychologist in front of him thought? He furrowed his eyebrows together, was he trying to convince the psychologist... or just himself._

_"Have you caught yourself disassociating, spacing out?"_

"Hey? Did you call the sheriff?" A shakey voice pulled Shane out of his thoughts and, for a moment, he wasn't quite sure where he was. 

"Did I what?" Shane cocked his head to the side, his brain was taking longer than usual to adjust. 

"Call the sheriff?! About the body?! We JUST found!" Ryan exclaimed, staring at Shane who seemed confused. Something felt... off to Ryan. 

"Oh... no... not yet." Shane muttered before looking through his pockets for his cellphone. 

"Dude are you... ok? I know we've only known each other for a day or two but if you need to talk-" Ryan began to ramble nervously, trying to read Shane's blank facial expression.

"I'm fine." Shane snapped, irritable, immediately feeling bad and apologizing. 

"Sorry.... I'm calling him now." Shane purposefully avoided eye contact with Ryan while pulling out his phone and dialing. 

"He's not picking up." Shane shook his head before re dialing and having it go straight to voice mail. 

"Well, what should we do?" Ryan looked around at the almost, painting-like town. Nothing was moving, the lack of light made it difficult to see past a few feet even with the flashlight, it was eerie. A shiver ran down Ryan's spine. 

"Wait here until morning?" Shane suggested, shrugging his shoulders. 

"I don't like this, I'm heading back back home." Ryan held his flashlight close to his chest as he walked down the street towards the neighborhood. 

"Okay, let's go." Shane agreed, following Ryan.

"W-where are you going? The hotel is the other way." Ryan pointed left as he walked right. 

"Oh, of course! I guess I'm still figuring out my way around town." Shane lied, rubbing the back of his neck. He had completely forgotten he had a hotel room and was almost... disappointed that he wouldn't be sleeping in the same place as Ryan. Ryan seemed to sense this and quickly added,

"But... If you want I have a spare room. It might actually be easier considering in the morning we have to see the Sheriff." Shane agreed almost too quickly, nodding his head in response to Ryan. They both hurriedly walked to Ryan's house.

Upon entering Ryan showed Shane where the guest room was before heading to his own room.

"I'm going to sleep.... or try to..." Ryan spoke in between yawning, stretching his arms above his head. Shane got a quick glance at Ryan's fit stomach and hips as his shirt rode up, he was thankful for how dark it was so Ryan wouldn't seem him blush.

Shane climbed under the covers and laid down, staring at the ceiling. He had a feeling he wouldn't been getting much sleep as well, as usual. 

Not even several hours later Shane heard a voice echo through out the house. He sat up and waited until he heard it again, this time it was louder and sounded more distressed. 

He quickly threw off the blankets and stepped outside his room when he suddenly heard screaming, it was Ryan. His face turned white as he ran upstairs and swung open Ryan's door. He relaxed a bit when he saw Ryan was asleep and not being hurt. 

He walked over to Ryan's bed before placing a hand on his shoulder and gently waking him. 

"HELP! HE-" Ryan abruptly woke up, tears already forming in his eyes. 

"Shit... I'm sorry... I just..." Ryan sat up, quickly wiping his eyes, keeping his eyes focused on his bed rather than Shane. 

"You don't need to apologize I.... I get it. I've been having nightmares too." Shane finally admitted. 

"Really?" Ryan looked up, comforted by the thought it wasn't just him. 

"Ya, it happens. Are you okay?" Shane asked genuinely concerned. 

"Ya I just.... ugh this is so stupid... I'm just scared." Ryan rubbed his face anxiously, wiping away sweat that had began to form. 

"Do you want me to... stay in here?" Shane offered, his heart jumped at the thought. 

"Would you mind?" He asked softly, embarrassed by the fact he was a grown man who needed to be comforted, despite deep down knowing there was nothing wrong with it. 

"Not at all." Shane gave Ryan a warm smile, hoping to lessen some of his stress. He walked over to a desk and chair in the corner of Ryan's room and sat down. 

"What are you doing? You can't sleep sitting up like that?" Ryan's voice seemed calmer. 

"You'd be surprised, I spent every day at the academy sleeping sitting up." Shane replied sheepishly, trying his best to lighten the moment. Ryan laughed before shaking his head. 

"You need to sleep too, I don't mind." Ryan tapped the empty spot beside him on the bed, sensing Shane being hesitant he followed up.

"It'd make me feel better, anyways I don't usually offer to sleep in the same bed with guys I just met, consider yourself flattered." Shane only chuckled in response but stood up and walked over to the bed before lying down. 

"Usually? So you have?" Shane joked around, watching as Ryan's face shifted to amused. 

"Shut up! You know what I meant!" Ryan retorted before rolling over to be face to face with Shane, scooting closer. 

"Good night Shane." He mumbled quietly before letting his eyes close. Shane took several minutes to admire Ryan's face and how... beautiful he looked. The moonlight shining through the window seemed to only accentuate the man's features. His sculpted but not too sharp cheekbones, his full lips that were slightly parted as he breathed, and plentiful eyelashes. There was no doubt about it, Shane found the other man attractive, but not just because of his looks. 

"Good night Ryan." He whispered to the sleeping man, before drifting off into a deep and peaceful sleep for the first time in months. 

\--------------------------------------

Around 6:30am they began to head into town, both deciding not to mention how Shane woke up with Ryan literally tangled around him, leg around his waist, arm wrapped around his stomach. Not that Shane minded, in fact Shane woke up an hour before Ryan and decided to just stay still and enjoy being cuddled. He hadn't realized how deprived of physical contact he was until he felt Ryan's warmth. 

They walked into the Sheriff department and was immediately given nasty looks from everyone working there. Shane brushed it off, now used to it, but Ryan felt uncomfortable. Shane knocked on the Sheriff's office door, waiting until they heard a booming voice telling them to come in. 

"Hey, We need to talk about what we found last night." Shane spoke sternly, Ryan chose to stand behind him. 

"What's that? A ghost?" The Sheriff looked over at Ryan and laughed, causing Ryan to stiffen and frown. 

"No. We found a body." Shane was not in the mood to joke around. 

"Where? In the Park?" The sheriff asked in disbelief, putting down the pen in his hand and leaning back. 

"Yes about 2 miles in. We were walking down the 'stars crossing' path and found a body, well just a torso and part of an arm." Shane corrected himself, scanning the Sheriff's face for any emotion. 

"Impossible. The Park Rangers have already patrolled that area and reported nothing." He replied dismissively, 

"Even if you did, why didn't you stay there and report it? You know you're not supposed to just walk away." The sheriff stood up from his chair, walking closer to Shane as if to intimidate him. 

"There was something in the woods, We caught it on camera!" Ryan blurted out angrily. 

"What do you mean there was something in the woods?" The sheriff laughed, shifting his eyes between the two men. 

"It's true, We both saw and heard it." Shane backed Ryan up. 

"You both saw 'it', not him/her? Did Ryan actually pull you into his nonsense?" The sheriff shook his head. 

"Not only did you find a body, if there even was one, and lost it, but now you also think it was a ghost? I don't think you're the best person for this case. I'm calling your supervisor and requesting you be removed from this case." As he spoke the sheriff reached towards the phone and picked it up. 

"You can't do that! We found a dead person!" Ryan argued, his face turning red from anger. 

"First of all, yes I can. Second of all, even if I were entertain the idea you guys found a body- your 'friend' left it there to get eaten by an animal, you don't even have any evidence." The sheriff's voice was soaked in aggravation. 

"We do though! Ryan caught it on video!" Shane replied, trying his best not to lose his cool.

"Videos can be staged. You're off the case. I suggest you pack up today and leave by tonight. This meeting is over." The sheriff walked over to the door before opening it and motioning for them to leave. The two men stayed for a second, both glaring at the Sheriff before leaving. 

As they stepped outside Ryan began to yell. 

"I can't believe that... that... asshole! How can he be so awful at his job?!" Shane only listened quietly, his mind running with thoughts. 

"Aren't you pissed?" Ryan exclaimed, moving his arms as he talked. 

"I guess, but there's nothing I can do now. I'm off the case." He grumbled as he walked towards the inn to pack up. 

"You're joking, right? Are you seriously going to abandon this case because someone says so? What about all those missing tourists, you're just going to let it keep happening? After everything we've been through??" Ryan was pratically shouting as he followed Shane. 

"After everything we've been through? I've known you for two days. Anyways, We would have never met if it weren't for the fact the Sheriff lost all the files in a fire." Shane snapped back, suddenly wanting to distance himself from Ryan. He had to leave and didn't want it to be any harder than it already was going to be. 

"Fire? What Fire?" Ryan suddenly stopped, grabbing Shane's shoulder and spinning him around. 

"The sheriff said he lost files in a fire." Shane replied. 

"Shane... He was lying... there's never been a fire at the Sheriff's department." Ryan informed Shane.

"I'm telling you, this entire thing is so much bigger than you think it is! Please stay!" Ryan was nearly begging, even his brown eyes seem to be pleading. 

"... I'll think about it." Shane finally sighed before walking into the inn, leaving Ryan outside to battle with his own thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will he stay? Will he go? Where did he come from? Cotton eye Joe. Anyways, more seriously, I'm hoping to keep doing DAILY updates but I have a busy work schedule this week so I'm not sure if it will be possible!


	6. Farewells

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to apologize for how long it's been, I definitely plan on finishing this fic! I ended up going to work more days than I originally planned and lost power for two days because of a winter storm. Thank you so much for all of your patience!

_Shane had never been successful at having and/or maintaining close relationships, in fact he had never been close to anyone. After everything that had happened, he found it even more difficult. There was always something in the back of his mind warning him that he could trust no one. He went from just uninterested to almost borderline paranoid._

_However, there was something different about Ryan. He felt safe around him and that fact seemed to only stand out more the night they slept in the same bed. It was the safest and most comfortable he had felt in months. From the moment they met Ryan was nothing but warm, friendly, and kind to him. If Shane was being honest with himself- he would acknowledge the fact that he cared deeply for Ryan and wanted nothing more than to protect him._

The sun barely peaked from beneath the trees as afternoon turned to evening. Shane, who had been anxiously sitting at the end of his hotel bed, stood up and picked up his duffel bag before walking out of the room. 

"I'm checking out." He informed the older lady behind the desk, who just wrote the time in her book and collected his key with a look of triumph. 

As soon as he stepped out the door he became face to face with Ryan, who only raised his eyebrows as his mouth hung open.

"You're actually leaving?" He croaked out, staring at Shane with what looked like betrayal. 

"You heard the Sheriff, I have to leave." Shane could barely look Ryan in the eye as he waited for his cab. 

"That sounds like my cue to see you off." They both turned to see the Sheriff walking up to them with a satisfied grin. 

Ryan glared at him, but he ignored it as the Sheriff extended his arm towards Shane. Reluctantly, Shane shook his hand. 

"It was nice meeting you." Shane spoke in a monotone voice. 

"It's been a pleasure Agent Madej, sad to see you go." He replied with empty words, laughing to himself. Shane only shook his head as his cab pulled up. 

"Bye, Ryan." He muttered, not even looking back as he got into the cab, Ryan was speechless and could only watch as the cab disappeared into the distance- his heart dropping. 

Ryan stood there for almost an hour, half-expecting and completely hoping that Shane would come back and admit that he made mistake and would stay. He knew that Shane would have to leave eventually as much as he didn't want to believe it, but he never thought Shane would leave so soon. 

He walked home in an uncomfortable silence, it wasn't even 7 o'clock but he decided to just go to bed. He wanted to sleep but could only stare blankly at the ceiling. He would rather pretend to be numb than confront any of the things he felt. 

He turned onto his side and stared at his dresser, he had cleared out two drawers for Shane. He groaned to himself, he realized he fell head over heels for a man he barely knew, he felt like it was almost his fault trying to rush into it. 

The words Shane said to seem seemed to echo in his mind; "After everything we've been through? I've known you for two days." maybe he was right. Maybe he had been trying to force their 'friendship' into something it wasn't. 

Hours had passed, Ryan had barely moved, his eyes mostly fixated on his ceiling when he heard a tap from his window, followed by several more. He decided to get up to investigate, opening the shades and window, before hearing a voice. 

"Ryan, you idiot, it's freezing let me in!" Shane's voice had never sounded so nice to Ryan. 

"I'll be right down!" He quickly yelled back before almost tripping as he ran out of his room, but quickly ran back to the window. 

"And screw you for not telling me your plan!" Ryan shouted, he couldn't even see Shane because of the dark but he knew he was smirking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about how this chapter was basically just filler.... I'm hoping to have the next chapter up by tonight and it'll be a lot more interesting, they'll actually do.... y'know... stuff. This chapter was mainly about Ryan's feelings (in case the Shyan was not apparent enough XD)


	7. NOTE

This will be deleted upon uploading the next chapter- after an extremely long hiatus I have decided to finally finish this story. The next chapter will be uploaded within a week. Im very excited to finally finish this story and give it the ending it deserves. Thank you to everyone who has read and commented thus far and thank you to everyone that has messaged me asking about this story! I hope time hasn't diminished your interest in this fanfic lol.


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